Real Talk: When What You Bring Is No Longer Valued

I want to be honest about something I’ve been carrying for a while now — not to vent, not to blame, but to give voice to a hard reality in my life.

What hurts the most isn’t a single moment or disagreement.

It’s the absence of trust.

When trust doesn’t exist between people who have to work closely together, everything feels heavier. Words are weighed. Intentions are questioned. Silence starts to replace openness. And for someone like me — someone who leads with integrity and clarity — that lack of trust cuts deep.

Another layer of this struggle is working alongside people whose minds are wired differently. I respect that we are all built differently, and I believe diversity in thinking can be powerful. But it becomes challenging when understanding and effort aren’t mutual. When adaptation feels one-sided. When accountability becomes optional instead of shared.

There’s also the reality of an age gap and a shift in work ethic. The values I was raised with — showing up, following through, respecting experience, honoring contribution — don’t always feel valued anymore. And that’s not just frustrating… it’s painful.

What’s been hardest to sit with is feeling devalued and invisible.

When simply acknowledging someone’s presence feels difficult for someone else.

When being seen becomes conditional.

When your consistency, reliability, and care fade into the background.

I won’t pretend that doesn’t affect me.

I like being valued.

I like being respected.

I like being seen for who I am.

I have always been a connector. A mentor. A steady presence. Someone who notices people, bridges gaps, and quietly supports growth. Those are not loud skills. They don’t demand attention. But they matter.

And I want to be clear about something — I do know my worth.

I bring valuable experience, insight, and skills to the table. That truth doesn’t disappear just because an environment changes or no longer recognizes it.

When those skills are no longer seen — or no longer wanted — there is a sense of loss. Not just professionally, but personally.

This isn’t about anger.

It’s about grief.

Grief for what once was.

Grief for the version of myself that fit so naturally in certain spaces.

Grief for realizing that sometimes, environments change — and they don’t always change in ways that honor seasoned experience.

I’m learning that being honest about this doesn’t make me weak. It makes me self-aware. It allows me to tend to my own well-being instead of hardening my heart or silencing my truth.

Some seasons require adjustment.

Some require boundaries.

If nothing else, I simply require myself to acknowledge that something no longer feels aligned.

And that acknowledgment matters.

Sunflower Blinders up and Leopard Print Headphones on

Because even when I feel unseen —I’ve gotten angry and frustrated. It’s interesting to try to put into words how this situation makes me feel….

I still know who I am. ⭐️

And that has to be enough…until I can shift the narrative. 😉